Endure, Protect, and Survive
by DownintheDeep
Summary: The brand new sequel to "A New Journey." After AJ is able to escape the fireflies, how will the three survivors continue to survive in the tragedy that is the post-apocalyptic world? Could this finally be the end of their journey? Read the story to find out!
1. Hurry Back

**Alright guys! Here it is! I know it's been a long wait and I apologize for that, but I will try my best to make it worth your while. I appreciate the comments that you guys have been giving me, and it seems as though a lot of my readers are big fans of the AJ character. With that in mind, I decided to create a new story with AJ, along with our beloved Joel and Ellie. This chapter is a little on the short side, but I will try to make them longer as time rolls on. I hope you enjoy!**

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_**2 years after the events of "A New Journey"**_

The wind had begun to blow heavily as the night sky was beginning to settle above them. It wasn't normal for the wind to be this strong in this part of town, but nothing was normal in the world they lived in anyway. It had been three whole hours since Joel had left to go scavenge for more supplies and catch some dinner and he was yet to return. Ellie was starting to get a little worried.

The auburn-haired girl began fiddling with her hands while keeping her head staring directly at her feet. "What if he ran into trouble? We both know he's not getting any younger." She got up slowly and started pacing across the room. "I can't lose another one. I just can't."

Ellie began to head towards the door with a plan in mind. Unfortunately for her, AJ knew what she was thinking and he was not going to allow it. "Now Ell. You gotta take it easy. Even if Joel got into trouble, we both know that he sure as hell can handle himself. There's no need for you to chase after him."

The young girl sighed. She knew it wasn't the smartest idea, but she felt the need to check up on her surrogate father. She needed to make sure that he was alright. "Besides you, he's all I have left. Please. Just let me go look for him."

The dark-haired boy looked into her eyes and realized that she was desperate to be reunited with the man that took care of her for the past 3 years. He knew he was going to regret his decision, but he didn't want to let Ellie go out there. "Okay. If it really means that much to you, I'll go. I'll bring him back. You don't need to worry."

She let out a big smile at those words, but it quickly turned to a frown once she had processed what he had said. "Wait. I'm coming with you right?" She had a feeling she knew what the answer was going to be, and she did not like it one bit.

"Uhh, yeah about that. I don't think so. It's just not safe for-"

She cut him off at that split second. "Not safe! NOT SAFE! I've been travelling around my whole life surrounded by dangerous threats and you're telling me that this isn't safe! I think I can handle myself." She didn't mean to come off that hard on him, but after all the time they had been together, he still didn't understand that she didn't want to be treated like a child.

He placed a hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down but she just shrugged it off. "Ellie, listen. I know you can handle yourself. You're definitely the most badass girl I've ever met." When she heard him say that, she cracked a small smile. "But just like you can't stand losing Joel, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something were to happen to you. So if you don't mind, I think I'll be on my way now. I'll be back soon."

Just as AJ was about to turn the knob to head outside, he felt a small hand grasp his own. He turned around and Ellie immediately pulled him into a tight embrace. "You're such a dick sometimes, you know that right?" The teenage boy snickered at her claim and was relieved that she was finally listening to him. "Promise me you'll be careful and bring back Joel in one piece. Just don't take too long."

"I promise." And with that, he stepped out the door with his rifle in hand, prepared for whatever he was about to face. He took one last look at the door way as Ellie slowly shut the door. Once it was completely shut, he turned back away from the house and took a deep breath. "Here we go. I'm coming Joel."

* * *

After hours of searching, it finally dawned on him. The place was picked clean and he wasn't going to find anything. He tossed the last empty can he found on the ground in frustration. Joel figured that it was best to make his way back home as he knew that Ellie would be worried sick. He looked out the window of the rundown house and was not looking forward to the walk back home. On top of the wind that was present when he had gotten to the house, it had now begun to rain heavily as well.

"Jesus Christ! Can't an old geezer like me ever catch a break?" He sighed. "Of course not...Well, I better get a move on before Ellie starts a riot." He was about to make a move towards the front door when he heard the sound of a bomb explode. He then remembered that he surrounded the house with four bombs before he entered, just to be safe. But his intuition told him that the bomb hadn't exploded because someone was nearby. Rather, he was damn sure it had exploded because someone had shot it. He began to get a little worried and kept his pistol at the ready.

He began to whisper to himself. "Son of a bitch! Today is clearly not my day." Just then he heard the sound of three more bombs going off. He was officially trapped and he had no idea how many of them were out there. He saw the shadow of a man near the rear entrance and kept his pistol trained right at it, not knowing for sure who, or how many guys for that matter, he was dealing with.

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While AJ was out searching for Joel, and Joel was god knows where, Ellie was trying to cheer herself up by reading her joke book. After a couple of jokes, she grew tired of it. It wasn't the same without someone to tell jokes too. She remembered the time back in the mall when Riley gave her the joke book and they shared jokes as if they had no care in the world. A tear began to glide down her face as she recalled the memory. It was too much, too soon. She also remembered the fact that her jokes always pissed off Joel, which lit a smile up on her face, and she hoped she would get the chance to share jokes with AJ soon as well. She set the book down as she locked her eyes on the doorway as she took a seat on their rusty, old, green couch. She promised herself that she would not fall asleep until she knew for sure that the two men in her life were safe and sound at home.

"I really hope they're okay."

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**Well there's the first chapter of my new story. I hope you enjoyed it. As always, please make sure to leave a review and follow the story so you know exactly when a new chapter has been posted! I will try to get them out as soon as I possibly can. Until next time, endure and survive my fellow survivors!**


	2. Brutality

**Hey guys! I'm going to be starting school again tomorrow and I realized that I probably won't be updating this story for a while. So, I figured that I should leave with you guys with one more chapter before I get back into my school work. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

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The rain had finally ceased and the heavy wind was no more. The young boy was drenched from all the rain, developing a slight cold in the process, but he couldn't stop now. He had to find Joel if it was the last thing he did. He carried on down the dark, narrow alleyway following the moderately large footsteps that he believed may have been left by Joel. To his misfortune, it led him to another dead end, which frankly he was growing tired of. He punched the nearby wall in anger.

He sniffled. "Goddammit Joel! Where the fuck are you?" He was about to turn and head back the way he came to look for another pathway when he heard something rustling from a nearby bush. AJ instinctively raised his rifle and kept it atop his shoulder awaiting for the mysterious creature to show its face.

The creature made no sudden movements, so AJ took a few steps towards it, praying that it wasn't anything too dangerous. He took it step by step, slowly but surely, and then it happened. The damn thing sprinted away out of nowhere, startling AJ. The boy fell back on his bottom with a thud and his heart rate had dropped back down to its normal level once he realized what it actually was.

"Holy shit! Fucking cat! Are you trying to fucking kill me?" He picked himself up on to his feet and began heading back the way he came. _Maybe I should just go back home? It's been more than an hour and I still can't find the guy. No matter where he is, I'm sure he's fine. Yeah, I think it's best to just head back home before I get into any trouble myself._ He decided to just call it a day and head back to the house, but then it suddenly struck him in the side of the head. _Oh wait I can't! Ellie will kill me if I don't come with him. I promised her. Fuck! Why'd I have to go ahead and do that. Note to self. Stop making promises that you're not 100% sure you can keep._

He broke out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of a bomb go off. He slowly began to creep towards the sound of the bomb, and then he heard the sound of three more bombs go off. That was a bad sign and he knew it. Joel was definitely in trouble, and he needed to move, fast!

His heart felt like it was about to hop right out of his chest in anticipation. The suspense was literally killing him.

"Alright! I'm only gonna say this once. If anyone's out there, show yourself, and we'll settle this like men." Joel began to growl in disgust when he realized that the man was too cowardly to approach him. But to his surprise, the man finally spoke up.

"Hey old timer! When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that you don't make the rules around here? We do!" The man stepped inside the room and had his shotgun pointed directly at Joel's had. He was wearing a dirty black mask and his gear looked like it was camo, just like those of a Firefly. "Any sudden moves and I'll blow your brains out! Toss me your weapon!"

"I ain't gonna toss you noth-"

"Toss me your fucking weapons or I swear to god I'll shoot!" The veins in his neck were starting to pop out and the tone in his voice clearly showed that he was not messing around. "You don't want anything to happen to that little girl of yours, do you?"

"Listen. You and your fucking pals better not lay a finger on her or I will fucking kill every last one of you assholes!"

"I assure you. We won't touch her as long as you give me the weapons." He reached his left arm out towards Joel gesturing him to throw them over to his direction.

Joel let out a deep sigh. The last thing he wanted was for anything to happen to Ellie. _What in the sam hell does this motherfucker want with us? As a matter of fact, why is he still alive? I thought AJ said he dealt with all of 'em. I gotta have a little chat with that boy once...if I get outta here. _"Alright alright. You want them?" Joel shoved his weapons toward the Firefly which brought a big smirk across the man's face. "Here, take them."

"Smart move smuggler! You know I wouldn't want to hurt that poor little girl of yours, don't you?" Joel growled in disgust at the sound of the man's sadistic tone of voice. This guy was an animal. He was pretty damn sure the guy use to be a hunter because of the way he held his gun. "As for you however, I've got bigger and better plans. It's about time someone finally put you down. And I think I'm about to be that man." The firefly lined up his shot directly between Joel's eyes and fired, but the older man saw it coming and escaped from harm's way.

The man attempted to fire another shot, but his gun got jammed. "What the hell?" He looked over at Joel and saw the expression on his face change to a more serious one. "Oh shit, oh shit!" He immediately bent down to try and grab one of Joel's guns.

Joel saw the opening he needed. It was now or never. He grabbed the firefly's arm just as he was about to lay his fingers around the muzzle of the pistol. He shoved him into the nearby wall and started punching his stomach and face as hard as he could. He wanted to make sure the message was sent loud and clear. He delivered a punch along with every word in the sentence.

"IF...YOU...OR...ANY...OF...YOUR...FUCKING...PALS...EVER...THREATEN...ME...OR...ELLIE...EVER...AGAIN...I...WILL...BEAT...THE...LIVING...HELL...OUTTA...YOU! YOU HEAR ME?!" Joel was livid and it was clearly shown by his busted knuckles and the bright, red blood that was smothered all of them.

The firefly groaned in pain. To his misfortune, Joel wasn't done. He picked the man's head up by the chin and stuck the pistol right to the side of the head. Without any hesitation, Joel pulled the trigger and that was that. The house was splattered with blood.

"MAN! Talk about an overkill!" screamed a stranger from behind him.

Joel immediately turned around pointing a pistol right at them. He was relieved when he realized that it was just his fellow companion, AJ. "Hey! I thought I told you kids to stay put and wait until I got back." He was a little ticked off but at least he was able to catch his breath. All this fighting had taken a huge toll on him.

"Yeah, well you were taking too long and we were starting to get worried. Anyway, we should get going. Ellie's still at home and she's probably worr-"

"SHE'S NOT WITH YOU!" Joel's heart was beginning to pump faster and faster. This couldn't be happening.

"No. I thought it would be better to let her stay at home. Thought it was too dangerous to bring her out here. Why what the hell's wrong?" AJ said curiously. He could tell from the look on Joel's face that he had done something terribly wrong.

At that moment, Joel's heart sunk. He felt that actions spoke louder than words and stepped aside to let AJ take a closer look at the carnage that he had just caused. And that's when AJ finally saw the man. He could recognize that emblem anywhere.

"No! No! No! NO! How's this possible? I killed every last one of those fuckers!" AJ was taken back in disbelief. All this time, he thought they were gone, and all this time, he was wrong.

"Well obviously you didn't! And now Ellie might be in trouble! We'll talk about this later. Right now we gotta head back to the house and get Ellie. Let's get movin'!" Without even waiting for AJ's response, Joel stormed out of the house, into the open. He had to go rescue his baby girl.

AJ took one last look at the firefly and kicked him in the face for good measure. He looked up and out the doorway where he saw Joel motioning for him to get a move on and follow him.

"Right behind you!" he screamed.

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**And there's chapter 2! I hope you guys are loving the story so far because I'm really enjoying writing them for you guys again. Please make sure to leave a review as it will motivate me to continue writing and because I really want to hear what my readers think about this story. So, I would really appreciate getting some more reviews. As I said before, I'm going to be starting school again tomorrow so it may take a while for the next chapter to be posted, so hang in there. Make sure that you know exactly when a new chapter is posted by following the story. Until next time!**


	3. Unfortunate Awakening

She had caved just minutes after taking a seat on the couch. Sleep had gotten the best of her and she eventually decided not to resist. The boys were taking way too long for her liking. What did they expect her to do all alone in the confinement of their home? It wasn't the same without someone else by her side. The house felt so empty. She was scared. Not for Joel and AJ, but for herself. She hated being alone ever since she was a little girl. The only way to get passed the feeling of fear she felt was to fall asleep. That way she would be able to avoid it for the time being.

The sound of a plate crashing on the ground broke her from her sound sleep. She began to stir, rubbing her eyes to locate the source of the noise. It was then that she noticed that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. She didn't recognize the place at all. _Where the fuck am I?_, she thought.

She was about to scream to see if anyone was around, when she noticed a particularly older figure, in about his 40s or 50s, sitting on the wooden chair nearby. He looked to be wearing firefly gear which was odd because AJ said - she froze in her thoughts when the man groaned in his sleep at the sudden impact of her foot making contact with the leg of the chair. "Oh shit. Be careful Ellie," she whispered to herself.

She figured that this was probably the best chance she was going to get. It was dark in the room, but it was bright enough to see exactly where she was going. She slowly approached the doorway, ensuring that she wasn't making any noise to cause any unneeded attention. Ellie grabbed the handle and began to turn it, but blew out a puff anger when she realized it was locked.

"Of course it's locked. They're always locked. I gotta find the key." She searched the area looking for any hint of metal that was in her sight. To her dismay, she wasn't able to find anything. She was about to give up when she noticed a sudden glimmer of light coming from the firefly's side. There it was. The key was dangling from his pocket.

"This is fucking great. Of all places, that's where it is! You've got to be shitting me." The red-haired girl proceeded towards the figure sitting on the chair. Once she was close enough, she reached her arm out trying to grab the key with the tips of her fingers. She inched closer and closer until it was finally in her grasp. Ellie pumped her fist in the hair with uncontrollable joy.

"Fuck yeah!" she screamed. The firefly's big brown eyes immediately shot open at her enthusiasm and his lips curled upwards into a devilish smile. "Oops," she said softly.

The firefly stuck his hand out in front of her face. "The keys. Hand them over little girl. I don't have time for your crap." Ellie decided that she was not in the best predicament at the moment, so she felt that it was best to obey his wishes, even though she didn't like the idea. This guy already seemed like a straight up asshole. She gently placed the keys into his hand.

He turned around to place the keys on the black desk behind him, but when he turned back around, Ellie delivered a punch square in his gut. He groaned in pain trying to regain his balance. The young girl was trying to figure what to do next, but it was too late.

"You little bitch! You shouldn't have done that." He had regained his composure and instinctively grabbed the red-haired girl by the neck into a choke hold. Bit by bit, he was draining the life out of her. Ellie was flailing her arms and legs trying to escape the tight grip of the man, but it was no use. There wasn't anyone to save her this time. There was anything to save - wait, her switchblade! She figured the man wasn't smart enough to check her pockets. She quickly reached into her pocket and grasped the knife by the handle. Ellie immediately shot it out of her pocket and struck the blade with all her might into the man's knee joint.

The firefly yelped in pain as she tried to muffle the sound as best as she could. "AHHHHHHHH!" Thankfully, no one had heard the scream. His grasp had finally released and Ellie quickly scooted behind him. She grabbed him in a choke hold of her own while he was down on his knees and began slitting his throat for good measure. As the man fell to the ground, she stared at the limp body in disgust and began coughing uncontrollably.

After about a minute, she was able to catch her breath and speak. "Motherfucker! What is wrong with these guys? Jeez!" She kicked the now unconscious man to show her hatred and proceeded to grab the key on the table where he had placed it earlier.

"I really gotta get here! I gotta find Joel and AJ." She placed the key into its proper place and twisted it to hear a satisfying click. She slowly opened the door, only to have a large creaking noise accompany the act. She listened closely to see if anyone had heard her.

"Hey! Did you hear that?" said a firefly from the other room.

"No. What was it?" said another in response.

"I have no idea. But it sounded like it came from over there. I'm gonna go check it out. Watch my back." The firefly slowly approached the room that Ellie was in with his rifle at the ready.

Ellie immediately took notice and scattered around the room looking for something to defend herself with. Then she noticed the assault rifle lying against the leg of the chair in which the firefly she had just killed was sitting. She grabbed it and knelt beside the recently deceased man, patting him on the chest. She let out a small chuckle. "Perfect. Looks like you were useful after all old man." The footsteps sounded to be getting closer and closer, and she kept the rifle pointed straight at the doorway. This was about to get ugly. One way or another, she was going to get out of there.

* * *

The front door burst open with the sudden impact of Joel's foot striking it. He scanned the area looking for any sight of the red-haired girl. But, there was none to be found.

"Ellie!" No answer. "Ellie!" Still no answer. "ELLIE!" It finally hit him. She wasn't there. He fell back on the couch burying his face in his hands in absolute horror.

AJ ran into the house, finally catching up with Joel, but he was discouraged once he saw Joel on the couch. Joel had heard him step into the house and slowly raised his finger and pointed it at him, giving AJ a hard glare as well.

"You! Boy, this is all your fault!" he spat in disgust. He was furious.

AJ had a sincerely apologetic look on his face. He wasn't expecting anything like this to happen. "Joel, c'mon I didn't mean for this. I love her. I'm really sor-"

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it! Ellie's missing and we got no idea where she is!"

"Alright. Then let's go search for her! It's not gonna do her any favours if we just sit here hoping for the best." Joel began to process what he was saying and eventually came to a decision. He nodded in agreement. He got up off the couch and initially, it looked like he was going to head straight for the door, but he stopped dead in his tracks beside AJ. He grabbed him by the collar, looked him dead in the eye and spoke.

"Don't think for one second that we're done talking about this. Cause we've got plenty more to talk about." As his gritted teeth slowly diminished, he released the boy's collar and headed towards the door.

AJ gulped loudly in response. He had kept his promise to Ellie. He had brought Joel back home safe and in one piece. But at what cost? Joel was furious at him and Ellie was in serious trouble. He had to fix this, and soon, before things got out of hand. He shook the thoughts out of his head momentarily and followed Joel in pursuit.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter guys! As always, make sure to follow and review this story, letting me know how I'm doing and how you're liking the story so far. I would really appreciate it. Thanks for the support fellow readers. On a side note, I'm planning to release at least one chapter every week, so there may not be a chapter posted until next week. But hang in there! :)**


	4. Double Duty

Every second that passed by felt like an eternity. The fear instilled by the knowledge that the firefly was approaching her was slowly eating away at her nerves. The glint of a rifle made a sudden appearance through what was still open of the doorway and Ellie immediately took notice. The door slightly budged, and once the red-haired girl felt that she had a clear view, she began her rapid fire. The firefly was taken aback, but it was too late, as he fell to the ground with a bullet wound right through his thick skull. To her dismay, she heard another set of footsteps proceeding towards her.

The trained firefly burst through the door, scanning the room for any sign of movement. He had moved so quickly, he hadn't even noticed the young girl hiding to his right. She waited for the right moment, and once his back was fully turned, she softly stepped up behind him and stabbed him in the throat with her trusty switchblade, causing him to choke on the darkened blood that was flowing out of his mouth.

"Motherfuckers! I'm sick and tired of this shit. I gotta go find the guys." Ellie stepped out of the room and proceeded towards the entrance of the building, taking her time to make sure that there was no one else to cause her any trouble. She peeked outside only to see nothing but darkness in front of her. "Great...I'm almost out of supplies and I've got no idea where I am right now. This is just fucking great."

The young girl began to think to herself about what she should do. _If Joel were here, I'm pretty damn sure he would tell me to stay put until he comes and gets me. Fuck that. I'm not going to wait for him to come get me. For all I know, he could be...No..I can't think like that. He's fine. He's fine... I hope. AJ better have kept his promise._ She broke out of her thought, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the doorway. "Alright Ellie. You're going to be fine. There's nothing to be afraid of. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?"

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"Alright. Come on Joel. This way. We're on the right track. I can feel it." The elder man walked towards him slowly, clearly with a look of physical exhaustion. They had been searching for Ellie for hours and there was still no sign of her. They were worried sick, but it was going to do them no favours having Joel trail behind in such a slow manner.

"Kid. I think it's time we hole up for the night. We'll continue searching in the morning. I think it's best we get some sleep." AJ looked back at him, ensuring that he had heard him correctly before nodding in agreement.

Fortunately for them, there was a house nearby that didn't seem to be occupied and they felt that it would do for the night. They approached it steadily. Joel turned the knob slowly, and out of nowhere, AJ ran up to him and burst through the door with his rifle in hand. He looked back at Joel and signaled a thumbs up to signify that the house was clear.

The older man was admittedly furious with the boy's actions. He mocked his thumbs up accordingly. "What in the sam hell was that? Boy, you could have gotten us killed."

AJ snickered. "Yeah...well sorry old man, but you were taking too long. We don't have time for that shit. We need to find Ellie sooner rather than later."

AJ was really starting to get on his last nerve. He was sick and tired of the boy's back talk. He began to raise his finger to give him a clear message, but thought otherwise when he considered what Ellie would say when...if she found out. He took out an old torn-up blanket from his bag and wrapped it around himself as he lied down on the couch. "Alright then. I ain't in the mood to argue. Tomorrow's another day. Try to get some rest. I'm leaving at dawn, whether you're up or not."

"Hey wait! Why the fuck do you get the couch? Where the hell am I suppose to sleep?" AJ looked around the house looking for any sign of another couch or something relatively similar to sleep on. There was nothing.

"I'm sure you'll figure that out." And with that, Joel drifted off into a long sleep.

The boy was left alone. He shrugged and looked at the ground to see if there was any spot that looked at least somewhat comfortable. After a few minutes of searching, he settled on a spot in the corner of the house. He sighed. "I guess this will have to do." He lied down on the ground and became lost in his thoughts.

_Why does Joel always have to be such a dick? All I want to do is find Ellie. Maybe I should just leave and go find her. I mean, he has been slowing me down this whole time. I can always come back for him._ He looked over at the limp body that was lying on the couch and frowned. _Nah, Ellie would kill me if I did that. God, this is all my fault. Maybe I should just tell him what happened with the Fireflies. Knowing Joel and Ellie, they're bound to find out about it eventually. But if I do, they're probably going to kill me. I think I should just let things play out as they are._

He reached over and grabbed his backpack, pulling out a necklace that had a familiar symbol on it. On the rear, the necklace read "AJ STEVENS". He quickly shoved it back into the front pocket just in case the elder man were to wake up unexpectedly._ I have to make sure they don't find out. At least, not yet. I have to find Ellie first. I may be one of them now, but they're not going to lay a finger on Ellie. Not if I can help it._

He zipped his bag and shoved it to the side. He figured it was best for him to get some sleep. He was pretty sure Joel was dead serious about his claim, and he couldn't let him go out there alone. Not with what was awaiting him out there. "Okay. I'll just try to play it cool. Everything's going to be fine AJ. What could possibly go wrong?"

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**Hey guys! First off, I just want to say that I'm sorry for the late update. I'm doing the best that I can to keep you guys entertained with new chapters, so hang in there and I'll get the chapters out to you guys as soon as I can. This chapter is a little on the shorter side, but I'll try to make my chapters in the future a little longer for your enjoyment. Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know in a review! It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)**


	5. A Man With a Plan

She had been walking for what felt like hours in an eternity of darkness. It was official. She was lost. She kept seeing the same old buildings every couple of minutes, which meant that she was just travelling in circles. Ellie thought about continuing to move along, hoping to find a way out, but it was no use. She knew that she would just find her way to this same exact spot. "Okay. I guess I'll just have to find a place to spend the night. But where?"

She scanned the area looking for a comfortable place to sleep, but it was so dark that she couldn't see much. She decided on a house that was relatively close by to her, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint of light. She squinted trying to identify the object, and then she realized.

"Oh shit!" Ellie tried to duck out of the way, but it was too late. The bullet grazed the side of her arm and she yelped in pain as she dropped to the ground. Blood began to spill out of the wound in her arm and she didn't have anything to patch it up with.

The strange figure slowly approached her. He looked to be in his early 40s. He had messy dark hair and had a decent build. Once close enough, he began to speak. "Well hey there little girl. How are you doing today?"

She drenched her mouth with saliva and spat in his face. "Fuck you!"

The man chuckled while rubbing the spit away from his face. "You know that's no way to talk to your elders. You clearly need to learn some manners." He grabbed her by the legs and began to drag her along the ground.

The auburn-haired girl started kicking her legs rapidly attempting to get out of his grasp. To her misfortune, his grasp was too tight. "Let go of me you motherfucker!"

He instinctively turned around and shot her a look of disgust. He was boiling with rage. "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR BIG MOUTH." The man walked up to her and bashed her in the skull with the butt of his shotgun. Ellie was knocked unconscious and she was defenceless.

* * *

Joel was usually the type to awaken to the slightest bit of noise. But today was different. The man, for once, was sound asleep. It was obvious that he was completely exhausted. The young boy slowly walked over to him and nudged him until he awoke.

"What do you want kid?" He didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

"You said dawn didn't you? It's time to get up. We need to get going." said AJ.

He groaned in frustration. "Alright...alright let's get moving." He bent over to grab his bag and proceeded towards the front door. AJ mimicked his actions and followed him in pursuit.

* * *

They walked outside and immediately noticed the change in temperature. It was warmer than usual for this time of year which made them smile. But they still couldn't find Ellie. Everywhere they looked, they hoped to catch sight of the little red-haired girl, but she was never there. Joel walked over and sat on a nearby rock trying to stay positive, but how could he? His little girl was gone and he had no idea if she was still even alive. The older man broke out of his thoughts at the sound of AJ's voice.

"Hey Joel! Over here. I think I found something. But...I don't think you're going to like it."

Joel obeyed and walked over to where the younger boy was standing. He immediately took notice of the blood that was smeared on the ground. "What's this got to do with Ellie?"

"Because, I don't think this is just anyone's blood. I think...I think it might be Ellie's."

The elder man immediately became quite concerned. "What makes you so sure?"

AJ sighed. He looked down and pointed to a spot about 2 feet away from where they were currently standing. Joel followed the direction to which he was pointing and was heartbroken with what he found. The switchblade. Ellie's switchblade. "No no no no no! Oh my god! We need to find her. We need to find her now!" AJ nodded in agreement and followed closely behind Joel as they stormed away together towards whatever lied ahead of them.

* * *

The young girl had begun to stir after feeling a tremendous amount of pounding at the side of her head. She could barely see straight but she could make out enough to notice that she was trapped inside a cage. It brought back so many memories. Winter. Being alone. David...Oh that sick motherfucking bastard.

A recognizable figure stepped into the room with a tray in hand and broke a smile. He was happy to see she was awake. "Well, good morning little one! I'm hoping you slept well."

She just rolled her eyes and pretended as if he weren't even there.

"I'll take that as a yes. No matter. Here. Eat up. I know you're hungry. Your stomach's been growling for the past hour or so."

The auburn-haired girl was hesitant at first, but decided to accept the food. He was right she was indeed starving. She hadn't had an actual meal in what felt like forever. Once she finished the meal, she felt that it was time for her to do the talking. She had no idea who this guy was and what he wanted, but at the same time, she was a little afraid to find out. "What the hell do you want with me anyway? Why am I even here?"

He snickered while taking a sip of water from the cup sitting on his right side. "Good question. Now first off, I guess I should introduce myself. The name's Michael. You see, I never wanted to hurt you. But I've been watching you for quite some time now, and I know you're close with the person I actually want to find. So...you're going to help me find him, whether you like it or not."

She didn't trust this guy. Not at the slightest. But Ellie knew what guys like him were capable of by now. So she was going to tell him whatever he wanted to here in order for her to stay alive. She just hoped that Joel and AJ were okay and that they would find her soon. "Alright...alright I'll help you find him."

And with that, Michael cracked a devilish smile. Everything was going well according to his well thought out plan. Or so he thought...

* * *

**Sorry for the late update guys! I'm just really busy nowadays and I don't find much time to update this story. I'll try my best to continue updating this story as much as I can, but I can't guarantee anything at this point in time. However, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, leave a review to let me know what you thought! It would be greatly appreciated. **


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